Latest Forum Posts
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I have progressed a good amount in painting (you can already see the end.) And I also made the seals of the Phil. And all kinds of different finishes It was fun to finish with them.
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It is coming along great Gary, lovely warm colours.
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I did miss it, sorry - Burnt Umber can modify the yellows, that is darken or desaturate them, and it will darken red, though at the cost of making it distinctly murky. If you want to use it as a darkening agent, mix it with a little Ultramarine (not the other blues, because most of them will turn it a deep green - mind you, that may be very useful sometimes).
Generally speaking, the best way to darken a colour is to mix its complementary with it. So - a red will darken a green; green will darken a red - directly, or optically (in a glaze, that is, for the latter). Blues come in a range of quite satisfactory darks anyway, so you'll rarely need to darken them, but the best way to do that is just add a deeper blue. Yellows and oranges can be darkened with violet. Experiment with colour swatches - not forgetting to make a note of what you've used.
Take a look at the split primary system - well explained by the Michael Wilcox School of Colour - or my e-book, of which I believe you have a copy: it deal with oil paint, but the principles involved are the same, even if many of the colours vary. The problem with darkening any colours with black or brown (or Payne's Grey, which is very often used) is that they are almost absent of colour - well, black is totally absent of colour. So what you'll get is often a sooty, ditch-water dark which just sits on the canvas and glowers at you sulkily. Colour darkens - or lightens - colour better than anything else.
If you want a really dark colour, just a little of which can produce a range of greys (in oil, acrylic, and watercolour) try Burnt Sienna rather than Burnt Umber; it's basically an earth orange, so full of colour, and it makes great darks mixed with Ultramarine. Other good darks can be made with a dark green, like (if we're talking about acrylic in this case) Pthalo Green, or Viridian if we're talking about oil, with any number of reds - crimsons or Burnt Sienna again probably work best, but a dark green plus even Cadmium Red, or Quinacridone red/violet, will give you intense darks, or, with added white (or water) gentle greys.
There are many other darks which don't leave you with a muddy smear rather than the warm dark you were looking for, before you need to reach for the black, Payne's, or Burnt Umber. All of those CAN give you satisfactory darks, but if you use them, mix a bit of real colour in with them - a bit of red in black can give it quite a lift, for instance.
PS - the distinction between Pthalo and real Viridian in acrylic - if there's a hue named Viridian in acrylic ranges, it'll be a form of Pthalo Green, because the real pigment isn't compatible with acrylic resin. If Syd Edward were still around, he'd be jumping up and down at this point and saying they're both horrible colours and you shouldn't use them, but - well, God bless him, but they're very good colours if you just know what you're doing with them and, particularly with the Pthalo, are careful of its tendency to take over your painting.
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Robert, I think you missed this question? Bringing it back up from the depths where it seems to have vanished.
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Looks really good Gary, will be interested to see how it develops from here. I like the idea of using flowers that are past their best, too.
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That a lovely scene Paula and it’s nicely painted, the sky I think is particularly well done . You have achieved a rugged look to the rocks that contrasts nicely with the softer ground around them . I think it’s a really good painting and certainly show quite a lot of skill that you can develop in time , it does take time and lots of practice , your definitely on the right track . As to style your will develop your own over time but it’s a fluid process that is constantly evolving and developing, like most artist you will alway doubt your own work and ability but don’t let that stop you travelling this great journey.
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I am hoping you can assure me of progress on my watercolour journey - Attached for feedback are my latest 3 studies.
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Some superb artwork posted . From me some of his excellent maritime paintings and superb architectural sketch / drawing . Second time of posting as the original was lost in hyperspace or I just didn’t hit the correct button.
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I think his figures are superb, such great observation and a little quirky. I can see in his work the influence of Bawden and Nash both of whom I like. I could choose more but will let someone else have a dip!
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Finally working on the next layer. This is larger than I usually work and it's interesting to find that in the mornings I'm finding it quite a daunting prospect to start work on it. Once I actually begin everything starts getting in the groove though.
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Absolutely love how this is going. Fab stuff
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Hadn’t seen his work before - as has been said, a very versatile artist with a wide range of styles and subjects.
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Much more to my personal taste….what fun.
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Just popping up, like an amiable mole, to add my congratulations to all who have been selected.
It's not something I would do - my dears, the work! The required enthusiasm! - but (got a wee bit camp there...) I admire the resolve of those who try and fail as much as I do those who try and succeed.
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The Northern line is not my usual route, but I'll be using CharingX tube in my visit today. I will try to remember to pop over to that platform on my way home. Not seen it before. Will try to discover the artists on the other platform tiling decorations.